The revolution to which I refer is basically centred around the empowerment of the consumer by brands. In response to a more vocal consumer -- one that make his/her feelings apparent about the products they buy using every medium from blogs to banners -- more and more non-retail brands are making a real effort to engage with customers in new ways that take on board their real feelings about the brand and give them a voice in how that brand is presented and accessed.
You can throw the old concept of "consumer's relationship with the brand" out of the window -- this is more about the consumer having a real input into all aspects of the brand's lifecycle. And it's likely to be changing a store near you in the not too distant future.
There are plenty of examples of customer-made branding. Recently, brands like Coors Light and Mercedes Benz have invited customers to co-create advertising campaigns, with Mercedes Benz encouraging proud owners of a Merc to submit snapshots of themselves next to their automotive objects of desire. And Mazda and Conde Nast partnered in 2005 in a contest whereby contestants can submit photos representative of their interpretation of Mazda's "Zoom-Zoom" slogan.
These companies are clearly aware that tapping into the collective intellectual capital of their customers yields great creative and "real" content. However, let's not make the mistake to think that in the end these conversations will all be about communications and branding.
Soon the collaboration with consumers will touch virtually everything a corporation does, how stores look, how customers want to buy, where store locations should be, and this will all be achieved by making the customer an integral part of the creative and creational process.
This new departure for brands has already been spotted by futurologists who have tracked the trend building over the last five years, but with the current onslaught of consumer activism it finally seems ready for its big moment in the limelight.
At the moment high street retail brands are conspicuously absent from this trend. But it's only a matter of time before big retailers will be forced to enter very different relationships with their consumers, which may not conform to the accepted norm. Be prepared for your customers to tell you that your shop is in the wrong place. That it should be offering a seating area, internet access, changing facilities, flat-screen TV, a place to chill out with mates.
I have always believed that brands in different market sectors can benefit from looking at what their counterparts are doing. So maybe the FMCG and automotive examples cited above could be triggers for an interesting retail response? There are already some good examples popping up - Levis have created areas within their stores for the customisation of their brand, Apple's iPod has made provision for purchasers to have their new iPod rubber sock personally branded, and the trendy trainers outlet Size in Carnaby Street has a glory wall featuring happy customers with their purchases -- a bit like an internet chat room.
If handled correctly involving consumers in all aspects of your branding will lead to bigger profits for any retail brand willing to listen and consequently afford a stronger positioning in the high-street retail jungle.
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